We are not safe, say nuns who came out to support rape victim in case involving Franco Mulakkal
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 20 (IBNS): The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has decided to take action against all acts of 'indiscipline' by nuns and priests for demonstrating against certain forces within the Church after rape allegations emerged against a bishop from Kerala last year.
The church has announced that a code of conduct will be introduced for priests and nuns after they were involved in protests in recent times.
A circular issued by Church head Cardinal George Alancherry, which is to be read out at all churches next Sunday, said recent agitations by nuns and priests breached all limits of discipline. The circular said it is suspected that some priests and nuns have become puppets in the hands of anti-Church forces, reported The Indian Express.
It said the Synod, a decision-making body of the Syro-Malabar Church, has directed bishops and superiors of various religious congregations to take action against priests and nuns who take part in “grave incidents of indiscipline”, reported the newspaper.
The circular said, “The Church would not brook the recent trend of resisting disciplinary actions with the support of media and anti-church forces. Henceforth, priests and nuns should speak to (the) media or take part in TV debates only with the consent of their superiors. The nuns and priests who venture into public protests should remember that they are bound to obey the canon law of the Church.”
Rape accused Kerala bishop Franco Mulakkal’s photo features in church calendar
Demanding arrest of rape-accused former Jalandhar Catholic bishop Franco Mulakkal, five nuns of Missionaries of Jesus had staged a sit-in protest in Kochi city recently. It was supported by few priests.
Franco Mulakkal and rape accusation against him:
Franco Mulakkal was accused of repeatedly raping a nun between 2013 and 2016. He was arrested in September and released three weeks later on conditional bail from a prison in Kerala He was welcomed by his supporters with rose petals and garlanded when he arrived in Jalandhar.
The nun, in a complaint in June, alleged that she was raped by Franco Mulakkal 13 times, during his visits to a convent in Kottayam. The bishop has denied the charges.
Franco Mulakkal gave up his pastoral duties at the Jalandhar diocese of the Missionaries of Jesus, weeks after the nun wrote to the Vatican.
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